December 14, 2007

Race car driver taxi driver to catch flight : Michael Schumacher can add the unofficial title of Germany's fastest taxi driver to his other achievements after taking over behind the wheel to get his family to the airport on time.

I once read an article in, I believe in SI, where the reporter said that he went on a ride in the country with Dale Earnhardt and that it was both the most terrifying and beautiful experience of his life. I wonder how it feels to have a true pro at the wheel in real traffic or on a real highway?

What I find funny is people are linking to this like it's a cool story, when the real headline should be "Schumacher breaks law". Moving onto racing drivers with actual class and grace, Gilles Villeneuve's wife used to lay down in the back of their car as his driving terrified her so much. And I've also read stories of people who rode in a car with Ayrton Senna and said how terrifying it was. And I don't care how fast Scum went. It wouldn't have been as fast the Journey into Terror I took from a Paris train station once.

What a moron. How many people did he put in danger trying to catch a flight? It's one thing to have an F1 driver take you for a ride in a road car on a closed course, that would be the thrill of a lifetime. But to do it in a taxi on public roads is just plain stupid. The only thing he had control over was his own car, but what about everyone else on the road, pedestrians. etc. How many traffic laws did he manage to break in an attempt to get to the airport on time? The guy is one of the richest athletes in the world and could have just taken his own private jet. If I had that much money you'd never see me race to catch a commercial flight ever again. Just have my plane waiting for me, please. He's nothing more than an arrogant, self-centered jerk who feels he can get away with stuff like that because of who he is (or should I say, WAS.)

OK, I'm a bit slow, for certain, but what did Schumacher do that was illegal? When I read the above article, all it said was that he took over the driving duties of the cab's driver. It didn't say he flew around at a zillion miles/kilometers per hour or go up on the sidewalks, or drive on two wheels ala Joey Chitwood, or jump a river. Does anyone have the goods on the terrible scandal commited?

--Does anyone have the goods on the terrible scandal commited? If he was so late for the flight that he felt the need to take the wheel himself, then you can safely assume traffic laws were broken. F1 drivers don't drive their cars like the rest of us, I'm sure. Like many other pro athletes and celebrities, they feel they are above the law. The only thing bigger than Schumi's wallet is his ego, and he knew damn well this story would get circulated.

If he was so late for the flight that he felt the need to take the wheel himself, then you can safely assume traffic laws were broken. F1 drivers don't drive their cars like the rest of us, I'm sure. Glad to know we can safely assume that even though he was on the Autobahn. And the thrust of your second assertion is awesome. "No evidence, I'm just offended and you should be too!" He wasn't drunk, no one died, but we should all get annoyed.

I thought it was humorous, too, until I read the vitriol being spat towards Schumacher. If he's on the Autobahn, which I have been on myself, my understanding was that he could reasonably drive fast as all fuck as long as he wasn't endangering himself or others. I was just wondering what the Schumacher hate was about.

fast as all fuck I believe that's exactly how it's stated on the speed limit signs *nod* Otherwise - why the over-reaction? Everyone was perfectly safe. The only chance of him crashing into someone was if they'd been within a couple of points of taking his title away from him.

I rented a car and drove on the Autobahn last summer during the World Cup and was very disappointed to find out that it is a myth that there are no speed limits there. While I imagine that there are sections of the Autobahn with no limits, in the loop I drove from Freiburg to Muenchen to Nuernberg to Frankfurt and back to Freiburg, I didn't see any of them. Sorry, if that ruins it for anyone else.